Rurik

Rurik (830-879) was the Prince of Novgorod from 862 to 879, preceding Oleg. Rurik was the founder of the state of Novgorod and the progenitor of the fearsome Rurikid dynasty.

Biography
Rurik was born in 830 to the Norse Varangians, and he rose to become their chief. In 862, when the Slavic tribes of Russia began to fight among each other, they invited Rurik and the Varangians to reestablish order. Rurik established Belozersk as the seat of his power, and he later moved his seat of power to the Volkhov River fort of Novgorod, where he became Prince. He died in 879, having established the Rurikid dynasty.